Funky Fotos

I started with an assortment of color photos with both matte and glossy finishes, but you could use B&W also. The worse the photography, the better, I think. I used vintage photos, because I have hundreds of bad vintage photos, but use what you have. Here are the methods I used:

-DISTRESS: I sanded areas of the photos with various grits of sandpaper. I did use one of those sanding blocks made for filing acrylic fingernails to go over the whole photo before I began altering. For some photos, I crumpled the photo and smoothed it out, so that it would wrinkle and crack.
-CHOOSE A FOCAL POINT: I decided what I wanted to show and what could be obscured. Some part of the image spoke to me, so that became the area to which I did little altering or selective altering.
-ALTER:    I used gesso, Permaopague markers, Caran D'Ache watercolor crayons,
Galaxy markers both metallic and not, gel pens, Pantone markers (which are alcohol ink), rubber stamps, Pitt Pens, Sharpies, fluid acrylics, Staz-On,craft paint--just about anything that would work on the surface of the photos. I also scratch the surface of the altered photos after I get the colors in place to add words, emphasize shapes, create patterns, etc. I like the way the white contrasts with the dark backgrounds I've been
experimenting by using a rotary pattern marker on the backside of the photo, also. It adds a bumpy texture that I like right now.
-LAYER:     Most of the time I chose to obscure everything around the focal point, but sometimes I outlined forms in the background to create a colorful world around it. I like intense color, so the Permaopague and Galaxy markers worked well. They layer on nicely on all kinds of surfaces. I used my
fingers to apply paint and to smudge it around, but I did use brushes in some areas. I also: drew in figures, both animal and human as well as vegetation; gussied up the subjects' wardrobes; highlighted areas by outlining or changing the color; added words; added borders.
-ENJOY:     Most of all, I just had fun redefining the photos to suit myself. I'm not a planner--I love to experiment and see what happens. As a friend of mine said, "I just need to get my art mind working." I don't censor what wants to come through me--if it's weird and kind of ugly I welcome it into the world.
Judy Corona 05 05.